This project was inspired by a similar idea in Country Homes & Interiors magazine. I love it because you can make it truly unique and change the theme when you want a change.
The base for the notice board is an old metal serving tray, I found mine in a local charity shop for 50p! The colour and pattern don’t matter, just look for a size and shape you like and make sure a magnet will stick to it. The wallpaper was one of several samples I picked up FREE at a big DIY store. You can find small magnets easily in craft stores or online.
I painted my tray but you may find a tray that’s already a colour you’re happy with. If you find one with a bold colour or pattern you want to cover, you might want to use spray primer (I did with mine) to get good coverage with your final paint.
- Place the tray upside down on a flat surface and lay a sheet of paper over it (the paper needs to be big enough to cover the whole of the tray base). Using a soft pencil rub over the indentation to ‘trace’ the shape (this gives you an accurate outline for the inside of the tray). You may find it helps to stick your paper down with low tack masking tape to avoid the tray moving around.
2. Cut the shape out.
3. Check the size against the inside of the tray and trim if needed.
4. Decide on the placement of the wallpaper pattern and tape the paper template down on the right side of the wallpaper with low tack masking tape.
5. Carefully cut around the template, you might want to keep any wallpaper offcuts for future projects.
6. Check the size of the wallpaper shape against the inside of the tray and trim again if necessary.
7. In a well ventilated space (it was dry enough for me to use the garden) give your tray 2 to 3 light coats of spray paint (you can skimp on the central part and skip painting the back if it won’t be seen). This is the hardest part of the project – waiting for the paint to dry! I gave my magnets a light coat of paint at the same time (avoiding the magnetic side).
8. You can adhere the wallpaper to the inside of the tray with wallpaper paste or double sided sticky tape BUT I realised I had enough small magnets so that the wallpaper stayed put once I started adding photos/mementos. So I didn’t bother sticking mine down. Lazy? Maybe… but it also means I can change the background paper as often as the mood takes me – happy days!
9. Enjoy collating images, notes and mementos on your board. I find it helps to lay it flat when deciding how I want the finished board to look.
That’s it! Your notice board could be used in the kitchen for recipes and reminders, perhaps you want to remember a special trip, or use it to create a beautiful seasonal display.
I just prop my board up on a drawer unit but f you want to hang the board on the wall, look for hanging solutions such as ‘adhesive hanging strips’ or adhesive plate hangers.